Red Line Ashmont Train is Now Approaching

December 13th, 2023
transit
The MBTA has now fully fixed the sign issue I was complaining about! It's great:

Red Line
Ashmont Train is Now Approaching

For years I grumbled inside whenever I was approaching a station and saw the digital signs switch to "Attention passengers, the next red line train". This could signal any of:

  • 25%: My train is coming, I can catch it if I hustle.
  • 25%: I'm missing my train.
  • 50%: A train I don't care about is doing something.

If I waited the sign would switch to, for example, "to Ashmont is now approaching", but time when I'm trying to decide whether to hurry to catch a train is unusually precious!

The issue was that they were displaying a transcription of the audio announcement instead of tailoring the textual notification to the medium. Several months ago they fixed the arriving version, and recently they fixed the "approaching" version as well. Yay!

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, mastodon

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Where I Donated In 2024

All Grants Fund, Rethink, EA Funds Animal Welfare Fund

via Thing of Things January 17, 2025

2024-25 New Year review

This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, travel, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Overall this was a pretty good year. Highlights …

via Victoria Krakovna January 15, 2025

The ugly sides of two approaches to charity

What's neglected by "magnificent" philanthropy, and by Singerian global poverty focus The post The ugly sides of two approaches to charity appeared first on Otherwise.

via Otherwise January 13, 2025

more     (via openring)